26 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cakewalk, a light unto my path, belly and backbone, Bibles gathering dust, catching our second wind, chances are your life isn't, disunity in Christ's church, elbow grease, endure to the end, even to the end of the world, halfway home, I am with you always, if your Bible is falling apart, looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, New Bible, new broom sweep clean but old broom know the corners, not looking back, One Year Book of Bible promises, our spiritual journey, Ruth Harms Calkin, thank God, the Bible is God's Word, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Great Commission, they word is a lamp unto my feet, treating it with kid's gloves, Wednesday Wail, with Jesus in our corner any thing is possible
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
So it’s Wednesday and we’re catching our second wind of this work week. Let’s hope that we made a positive difference in the opening days, that we were salty and bright like Jesus desires us to be, and that today will reenergize us, refill us with the Holy Spirit, so that we can continue the good work we’re doing in Jesus’ name down here on this abused and degenerate planet Earth.
And it’s of the utmost importance that we realize that if we ever hope to see positive changes in our world, that they will have to come from us, believers in Christ. It will have to be our elbow grease, belly and backbone that stands up against the very prevalent evil schemes and wiles of the devil and his evil cronies. No one else is going to want to, or be able to do it. But if we believe, with Jesus in our corner, then anything is possible, and if He wants us to take over the world then we can do so with His help. Yuh see how much success the first twelve disciples had in spreading the word.
However, to do that, we need to have the courage and desire to do it, the courage and desire that they possessed. And right now, it’s obvious that not enough of us possess those necessary qualities. And with the total disunity in Christ’s supposed church, it’s becoming a cakewalk for the evildoers, as they divide and conquer us with impunity. Yes friends, as a body, we’re falling down on the job, but that doesn’t mean as individuals we can’t make a decent difference.
And yes, it’s difficult when you’re fighting in your little corner of the world by yourself, but please, let’s not give up hope, because when Christ gave us the Great Commission, He promised in very positive and certain terms: ‘I am with you always, even until the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20) That means He is always with us when we are doing His work, so there’s no need to fear or lack courage when we sincerely and enthusiastically decide to get out there and witness for Christ.
But enough of the negative aspects of our spiritual journey, let’s change the tempo. (smile) And I’ve found something in our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, that I don’t think I’ve ever shared before, but it’s truly interesting and rather appropriate in my life right now. It’s simply titled ‘New Bible!’
So please read with me: ‘This was an exciting day for me, Lord! This morning I opened my new Bible. Not a single word was circled Not a single phrase underlined. Now with each new day I can circle and underline again I can word-clutter the margins and I know what will happen. Lord – I’ll be asking as I read Why didn’t I see that before?
But even with the joy of the new Bible I’m going to miss my old one with its tattered pages – Its creased and torn edges. Oh, how many personal notes Are jotted on the margins How many God-whispered secrets. Yes, Lord, I’ll miss it. But thank You for a friend’s reminder: “If your Bible is falling apart Chances are your life isn’t.”
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren, because the falling apart of your Bible means that you’re in a lot, and thus the Word of the Lord is very prominent in your life, and you’re doing your best to be a good witness and disciple for Christ. And I can personally attest to what is written in the poem because my old Bible that I used to write the Bit, seven days a week for numerous years, was indeed falling apart on me at the end of last year, and I considered taking it to get it rebound because of the familiarity and ease of use. I even called up one binder about it, but never followed it up, and at the beginning of this year, simply bought a clean, brand new version of the old one instead.
And was it ever strange opening the new one and not seeing any underlining or stuff written in a kaleidoscope of colours. But with the passage of time, I’m getting accustomed to this new one. And although they are the same King James version, just a newer printing, there was something about the old one that I miss. I knew where to find everything I wanted. This one though is set up in a slightly different manner, and I’m still learning how to use it. The old one was also solid and could take the rough handling, but in comparison, this new one seems somewhat flimsy, and I find myself treating it with kid’s gloves
But I guess it’s like everything else nowadays, from humans to cars, to books, everything in these modern times is much more fragile, not as strong and sturdy, but they cost much more than the old versions though. (smile) And it all reminds me of the ole folks saying: ‘new broom sweep clean, but old broom know the corners.’ Yes, when you become accustomed to something, it’s hard to change to something newer, although the new thing might even function better.
Anyway, it’s all history right now. I’m into the new Good Library, and it’s telling me the same thing the old one did; ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And so it is indeed my fellow believers! Be it torn and tattered or brand new and unblemished, the Good Library contains the same wonderful information, yesterday, today and forever! It leads and guides us on our earthly journey. It’s the believer’s guidebook for living. And that lamp unto my feet and light unto my path scripture was the verse associated with our poem.
Ah mih people, our world is slowly, but steadily falling apart, what with all the evil schemes and wiles being perpetrated in it each and every day, but as true believers, we just can’t sit around and allow it to happen. We need to make our voices heard and our actions felt, regardless of how small and infinitesimal they may be. That means continual reading and meditating on the Word, putting our Bibles to good use, letting them become torn and tattered by constant handling, and not allowing them to sit and gather dust, as so many are currently doing is so many Christian households.
Now, for those of us who are trying our best to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been promised that if we endure with Jesus right down to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Wow! So, let’s use that as encouragement to endure to the very end nuh! Much LOVE!
…the Bible is God’s Word…and you can only learn about Him by reading it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of life, a crown of righteousness, a living hope, fight right down to the finish, godliness with contentment is great gain, hands on the plough, I have finished my course, I have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith, joint heirs with Christ, lay hold on eternal life, living for Christ is not easy, LOVE, money is the root of all kinds of evil, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, never give up mode, not looking back, O man of God, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the fiery trial which is to try you, the Lord is faithful, the promise of salvation, the time of my departure is at hand, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail
2 Timothy 4:7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith:
Awright, so we gone back to this cold weather nonsense. (smile) There were even some snowflakes yesterday evening, although they didn’t turn into anything serious. But just the very thought that we could still be seeing snow is annoying and frustrating. So when we awaken to this Wednesday morning cold and somewhat cloudy, it doesn’t do anything positive or good for one’s constitution, (smile)
But thankfully, the sun is fighting a valiant battle to come out, although the clouds don’t look like they intend to give up without a fierce fight. And that my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is how we are supposed to be as true followers of Christ; in never give up mode, fight right down to the finish! In fact, in Christ’s kingdom, the words ‘give up’ simply don’t exist, because there’s no need for them.
That echoes Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy, after telling him that ‘godliness with contentment is great gain, and money being the root of all kinds of evil and the evil deeds one can get into by LOVING money. (1 Tim. 6:6-10) He then advises him: ‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:11-12)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s exactly how we should be going about Christ’s business as His ambassadors and agents on this earth; living as godly and righteously as we can, and always fighting the good fight of faith. So that at the end of our earthly days, we can make positive statements like Bruh Paul did. ‘But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:5-8)
Ah friends, some of those things are not easy to do, like enduring afflictions with a good spirit, but we need to do them if we want to truly represent Christ and all that He stands for. James encourages us in the matter by saying. ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (has been proved), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that LOVE him.’ (James 1:12)
Now both apostles tell us about crowns we’ll receive if we stand strong and steadfast and bear our crosses right down to the very end, and what we need to remember is that our wonderful God never asks us to do stuff that He doesn’t give us the anointing to do. So although things might look difficult, sometimes even impossible, if it’s truly the will of God for our lives, then we will be able to do it.
And I can talk from personal experience there. Do you think that I’ve been writing this Bit on my own strength for the last sixteen years? Obviously not! And it wasn’t even my idea in the first place, but God’s, and I fought Him about doing it. But as always, if He is serious about something, He will prevail in the end, for He has more machinations than mankind can even dream of. (smile) And though my first attempts were laughable, simple one line verses, with His help and faithfulness I eventually worked up to now, where I’m writing too much.
And believe me when I say that some days I come to write the Bit and I don’t have a clue as to what to write, but ever so faithfully the Lord will show me something that He thinks I should write on. Now, it’s not always like the snap of my fingers, sometimes I have to work hard for it, checking all sorts of scriptures. At other times I just open the Good Book and a relevant verse jumps out at me. That’s why I can boldly acknowledge the Lord’s faithfulness when He gives you a task.
And it’s ever so important that whatever He asks us to do, we take it seriously and put out our best effort in accomplishing it. You’ll notice the big job that the Lord gave Bruh Paul to do; take the gospel to the Gentile world, and how he did it with zeal and enthusiasm, though he suffered mightily for it. And it’s obvious he could not have done it all in his own strength, but the Lord, having assigned him the task, made it possible for him to do a brilliant job.
Now, not many of us will have to suffer like Bruh Paul to accomplish our ministry, but there will be trials and tribulations regardless of how simple it might seem, and that’s when we have to rise up to the task, to stand up strong to whatever temptations or afflictions are blocking our way. We have to do like Peter says in his first epistle.
‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet. 4:12-14) Yes, those are indeed tough words to live by, but live by them we must.
Now here’s a li’l encouragement from Peter earlier on in the epistle. He writes: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-5)
Oh my fellow saints isn’t it wonderful to know that God, through Christ Jesus has bought our sins and replaced them with righteousness and hope, of salvation, as well as an incorruptible inheritance that is laid up for us an heaven! Remember we’re joint heirs with Christ, so whatever He has in heaven we’ll share some of it, like the crowns of life and righteousness that James and Bruh Paul spoke of. So, since we have all the tools, the promises, the faith, the hope and wherewithal to do God’s will, please, let’s get serious and do it nuh, for He is depending on us, His earthly agents to make a positive difference down here on earth.
Now, for those of us who are intent on doing just that, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus. In strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And remember that if we endure to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s use it as an incentive to endure to the nuh! (smile) Much LOVE!
…living for Christ is not easy…but it’s certainly interesting and worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, according to his divine power, add to your faith vortue, ambassadors for Christ, brotherly LOVE, ebdurance, endure to the end, faithfulness, gentleness, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, godliness, grace and peace be multiplied unto you, halfway home, hands on the plough, hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust, joy, kindness, knowledge, LOVE, moral excellence, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ, not turning back, paid for with a price, patience, peace, perseverance, self-control, so glad to be alive, spiritual maturity, spiritual truth, store your treasures in heaven, temperance, the fruit of the spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, them who have obtained like precious faith, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, wisdom in spades, ye might be partakers of the divine nature
1 Peter 1:2.Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
A good Wednesday morning to you, my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! The weather’s not great, and I can hear the rain falling outside, on what’s supposed to be a rainy day. And there couldn’t be a more fitting opening on this Wednesday of Holy Week, than this one by Peter at the beginning of his first epistle. He writes: ‘Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like (the same kind of) precious faith with us through the righteousness of (our) God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.’ (1 Pet. 1:1-2)
Yes friends, grace and peace to all you who have sincerely received Christ Jesus! It’s a great honour and privilege to be invited to receive Him. Why? Listen to how Peter explains it. ‘According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to (by) glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-4)
Oh my fellow saints, yuh see the immense benefits we enjoy when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! We are thoroughly blessed through numerous promises and acts of God, so that we can partake of His divine nature, and be able to fight the evil and corruption that’s in the world. What a great and caring God we serve my people! No other supposed god does that for His followers. ONLY the great I AM!
So, when we receive Christ, we receive salvation and all the other good things that believers get, like the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit. But that’s not the end, in fact it’s just the beginning, because Christ expects us to follow the leading and guidance of His Holy Spirit as we live this earthly life, and also to nurture and grow those seeds of the Spirit which have been planted in us. That’s LOVE, joy, peace, patience, good ness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)
In other words, after receiving Christ, believers are expected to grow, to mature in the Christian faith, in the same way that newborn babies start out by drinking milk, but gradually progress to eating solid food. It’s not good enough to just keep eating baby food for the rest of your lives, although that will not stop you from getting into heaven, but it will certainly cut down drastically on your heavenly rewards, since you will not be able to witness and have strong testimony for Christ, through which others, the unbelievers and the heathen are encouraged to come to Him.
Remember, we are the eyes, ears, hands, feet and mouths of Christ here on earth. The only chance some may have to see Christ is through you, through your witness and testimony. That’s why Peter continues in his writings to encourage believers to grow in spiritual maturity. ‘And beside this (but for this very reason), giving all diligence, (after salvation) add to your faith virtue (moral excellence); and to virtue knowledge (spiritual truth); And to knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience (endurance, perseverance); and to patience godliness (God-likeness);
And to godliness brotherly kindness (brotherly LOVE – Gr. philadelphian); and to brotherly kindness charity (volitional LOVE- Gr. agape – a decision to LOVE, not an emotional feeling). For if these things be in you (are yours), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren (useless) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off (short-sighted), and hath forgotten that he was purged (cleansed) from his old sins.’ (1 Pet. 1:5-9)
Yes my faithful brethren, those are areas in which we all need to grow in spiritual maturity. We are not all at the same level, but for all of us it’s a lifelong cycle. Yes, spiritual growth never ends for the Christian believer. Not until Christ takes them home. And in his epistle to the Philippians, Bruh Paul confirms that, when he says: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Once God begins a good work in us, He won’t ever stop until Jesus comes for us.
And if we don’t aspire to spiritual maturity, we’re forgetting that we were cleansed of our sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, that we were bought with a price…and a very high one at that. And the least we can do is to improve our knowledge and spirituality as befits believers, so that we can be good ambassadors for Christ here on earth. And Peter continues to explain. ‘Wherefore the rather, brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall (stumble): For so an entrance shall be ministered (supplied) unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (1 Pet. 1:10-11)
And the scholars explain those last two verses thus. ‘Ye shall never fall: The author is not referring to falling from salvation but to failure in Christian living. The everlasting kingdom refers to the eternal realm of God where Jesus is the undisputed Ruler. It is synonymous with heaven. Thus the one who acquires the virtues of verses 5-7 will have a rich inheritance in heaven.’
And I know that all of us desire to have a rich inheritance in heaven, but we have to begin by working for it down here on earth. As Christ said, store up your treasures in heaven where they are well protected, rather than on earth where they can rot and rust and be stolen. That’s wisdom in spades friends! And for those of us who have sincerely taken those words to heart, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And having said all of that, let’s remember that if we endure until the very end, then the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow! I can’t wait to experience it! I hope you can’t too! Much LOVE!
…growing in spiritual maturity isn’t easy…but it’s surely interesting and worthwhile…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great high priest, a harbinger, according to His abundant mercy, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, blessed us with all spiritual blessings, come boldly unto the throne of grace, endure to the end, find grace to help in time of need, from God our Father, grace to you and peace, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, hold fast our profession, I'm not loking back, I'm so glad to be alive, in heavenly places, it bringeth forth fruit, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, living for Christ brings heavenly blessings, living for Satan brings helllish curses, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven, passed into the heavens, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the enemies of the cross of Christ, the gospel produces godly character and noble conduct, the hope laid up for you in heaven, to a glorious future with Christ, vain deceit, we may obtain mercy, Wednesday Wail, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, word of truth of he gospel
Matthew 6:21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Well friends, we’ve come full circle around again to another Wednesday, the middle of our work week. Some of us look forward to Wednesday as a sort of harbinger of Friday, that magic day when labour ceases for most of us. Yes, just two more days to go. But Wednesday, in and of itself is a very good day. It has all the new mercies and compassions that the other days have, and it also gives us another chance to get closer and more intimate with our Creator and to make a much needed difference in our crazy, turbulent world.. So please stop looking at Wednesday, just in terms of Friday. (smile)
And to show how special Wednesday can be, this morning we’ll open with the words of Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus, a greeting that’s unlike any other greeting. So listen up, pay attention. My fellow saints, all over the world where this missive is read or heard, ‘Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be (worthy of praise is) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.’ (Eph. 1:2-3)
Yes friends, Bruh Paul has deemed the Lord as being worthy of much praise because of the spiritual blessings He has put aside for us in heaven, through His Son, Jesus Christ. And what are those spiritual blessings that are in our names in heaven. Here are a few of them, as noted by the scholars.
The first one is the Christian’s citizenship, which is listed in Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, when he advises them to imitate him and not others who ‘are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is their shame, who mind (set their minds) on earthly things. For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence we also look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.’ (Phil. 3:18b-21)
So, if we follow Christ, sincerely, the first thing we’re assured of is citizenship in heaven with Him. The scholars also note that our High Priest is in heaven. ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses), but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Wow! What a wonderful high priest we have in heaven my brethren! One who can identify with all of our faults and frailties. It certainly does help to be able to go to Him and know that He will understand whatever we’re going through. Then there’s our hope. As Bruh Paul puts it in his missive to the Colossians.
‘We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the LOVE which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:’ (Col. 1:3-6)
And I like some of the scholars’ explanations of those verses. As per vs. 4, they say: Evidence of a person’s faith is Christ Jesus is his LOVE…to all the saints.’ And we cannot deny the truth in that statement. Then as per vs. 5, they explain that ‘Hope is salvation, as it refers to the object for which one hopes. While Word of truth of the gospel could be rendered as “the message of the gospel which is true.” This is meant to contradict the Colossian heresy: unlike its false teaching, or “vain deceit” (2:8), the gospel is true indeed.
And then in vs. 6, they explain that ‘The universal spread and effectiveness of the gospel verify the assertion in verse 5 that it is the truth. The Colossian heresy is merely local; while the gospel has come to the Colossians, it has gone beyond them in all the world. And it bringeth forth fruit; that is, when embraced by faith, the gospel produces godly character and noble conduct in its converts.’ Let’s hope that’s true of us my people.
Then we have our ‘inheritance’ which Peter talks of thus: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-5)
Ah mih people, salvation begins a new stage of life for us, and we have that certain hope because it’s guaranteed by the death and resurrection of Christ. and our inheritance is imperishable, cannot rust, be tainted by moth, stolen or ravaged by the passing of time. And it’s securely preserved and guarded in heaven for us by our heavenly Father. Wow! Now why would I choose to bow down and worship any other god eh? No way Jose!
And lastly, we have our treasure stored up in heaven as spoken of by Jesus. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:10-21) And I do hope we’ve taken Jesus seriously and laid up our treasures in heaven rather than down here on earth, for it’s all safe and secure up there.
So you see friends, some of the spiritual blessings we have laid up for un in heaven by the Father through Christ, and which are ‘being progressively dispersed to us on earth in accord with our need and Christian growth.’ We couldn’t have a better life than that friends. That’s why it’s wise to hook up with Jesus and stay hooked up! Now for those of us who have done that, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And one last bit of encouragement. If we endure to the very end with Christ, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…if living for Christ brings heavenly blessings…why live for Satan which brings hellish curses…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
01 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be not dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, but are not able to kill the soul, endure to the end, eternal life, faith versus fear, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear not, fear not them which kill the body, fear thou not, forgiveness, God is for me, halfway home, hands on the plough, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I am with thee, I called upon the Lord in distress, I will not fear, I will trust in God, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, it is better to trust in the Lord, Jesus wants us in heaven with Him, langniappe, LOVE, middle of the week Wednesday, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, o ye of little fiath, Satan wants us to end up in Hades with him, send faith to answer when fear comes knocking, set me in a large place, spreading Christ's marvellous gospel, than to put confidence in man, the annals of history, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the first day of March 2023, the good news of salvation, the gospel truth, the Lord answered me, the Lord is on my side, they that strive with thee shall perish, to a glorious future with Jesus, to put confidence in princes, Wednesday Wail, what can man do to me, What time I am afraid, wisdom to the nth degree
Psalm 118:6. The Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
And then it was a damp, cloudy, middle of the week Wednesday, the first day of March 2023. Can you believe it, February’s already over and done with, assigned to the annals of history! The days are certainly not waiting on anyone, they’re just ploughing ahead unceasingly in their God-given duties. And so should it be with us Christian believers; we ought to be relentlessly moving forward with the spreading of Christ’s marvellous gospel, the good news of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life!
Nothing ought to stop us, least of all the devil and his evil doing cronies. And why do we allow those evil doers to prevent us from doing Christ’s work eh? A lot of it is based on fear. But one of the biggest repeated commands in the Bible is ‘Fear not!’ And Jesus also asked several times, ‘Where is your faith?’ Then He also admonished ‘O ye of little faith!’ So, I guess a lot of our hesitation in doing Christ’s work is based on fear and lack of sufficient faith to overcome our fear. But we have to realize that FAITH is the ONLY thing that overcomes FEAR.
And today, it seems like a faith versus fear day, with scriptures that will enable us to build our faith and thus lessen our fear. And I guess the most alluring and confidence building scripture to start our journey is that marvellous one from the prophet Isaiah, where he instructs the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people thus: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11)
Wow! What awesome words of encouragement my people! That’s the Creator and Controller of the universe, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob telling us not to fear, that He will look after us with His mighty right hand! What more do we want eh? And please don’t tell me that that’s from the Old Testament and that the Lord was speaking to His chosen people of Israel, for who are you?
You are also His chosen. He sent His sinless Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice himself on the rugged cross of Calvary so that all of His creation, both Jews and Gentiles could be forgiven, reconciled to Him, and receive salvation and eternal life. That means, in no uncertain terms, that those scriptures on fear in both the Old and New Testament apply to all supposed believers in Christ Jesus!
And having cleared that up, (smile) let’s move on to this interesting scripture from Psalm 118, which says: ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place. The Lord is on my side: I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps. 118:5-9)
Yes friends, when you trust in the Lord, put your faith in Him, He works out everything for your good. The only problem is that you first have to put your faith and trust in Him, before you can see Him working in your life. And the more you trust Him, the more you will see His good works, and the more your faith will grow. Remember, Christianity is not for cowards.
Please note the strong tone the Lord used with Joshua when he made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. Having already told Joshua to be strong and courageous several times, (Josh. 1:2-8) He admonished him one last time for good measure. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Now, I can’t say exactly why, but those scriptures from Joshua 1:7-9 are some of my favourite scriptures. They just light a fire in my bones. (smile)
And Bruh David adds his two cents worth to the situation, when he writes in Psalm 56, after the Philistines took him in Gath. ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God have I put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me…When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4, 9)
Oh my fellow believers can we sincerely utter those words? Do we know without a doubt that our great and wonderful God is for us? I certainly hope so. For until we do, we will not enjoy all of the many blessings available under His most generous umbrella of care and compassion.
And what does Jesus say about fear, you ask? Listen up as He warns. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) And that person my friends is none other than the Lord God Jehovah; the ONLY ONE who can destroy both body and soul. So that’s where our first fear should lie, not in Satan and his evil doers. But even then, it’s not so much fear of God, but more a reverential awe of Him, because we know His awesome power.
By the way, here’s an interesting point from the scholars. They say: ‘Notice that God is the One who has authority to cast men into hell, and not Satan, who will himself be ultimately cast into everlasting fire.’ Now that’s something we should also consider, Satan can’t cast us into hell, but he can certainly help us get there, which is his raison d’etre, his reason for being, to inveigle us to go against God and eventually end up with him in hades. Conversely, Jesus wants us to end up with Him in heaven, so whom will you choose eh? Let’s hope Jesus.
And it seems like there’s so much to say on the subject of faith versus fear that we’ve run out of time and space today. That means, the Lord willing, we’ll continue this most important topic tomorrow. In the meanwhile, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Yes friends that’s the gospel truth! And when you add this langniappe, this li’l extra to it, that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine, it encourages us even more to stick with Jesus to the very end. Now, that’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…when fear comes a knocking…the best response…send faith to answer it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a return to righteousness, a sad countenance, afflicted our soul, Ash Wednesday, bow down his head as a bulrush, clean and contrite hearts, delve deeper into God, endure to the end, find your own wilderness, halfway home, hands on the plough, I set my face unto the Lord God, in god's will, looking after the poor and needy, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning baack, one on one tete a tetes, open your heart to God, outward ritual, reward thee openly, spend more time with God in Lent, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the fist of wickedness, the joys of the flesh, they have their reward, to a glorious future with Jesus, to seek by prayer and supplications, turn to God, Wednesday Wail, when ye fast be not as the hypocrites, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes, ye fast for strife
Daniel 9:3. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Behold my people, it’s Wednesday, the middle of our work week, and I’m chuckling here because my computer is telling me that snow’s a coming. The truth is that the snow is already here in the form of freezing rain. But anyway, snow or not, today is a big day in the life of believers, Ash Wednesday; the beginning of the 2023 Lenten season! And yes, all the carnival and the bacchanal done now for another year! Now it’s time to seriously turn to God and take a break from all the joys of the flesh that we’ve indulged in over the last few months.
Let us find our own wilderness to repent and come clean and clear with our God, for remember He is a Spirit, and to worship Him properly we need to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Therefore, on this Ash Wednesday morning, it’s of the utmost importance that we believers open up our souls and spirits to our great God and allow Him to come into them and refresh and renew them. It’s a time to do like Daniel and seek inward things, where he said. ‘And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:’ (Dan. 9:3) Then he went on to open his heart to God.
Now we don’t do much sackcloth and ashes in this modern era, but for those who think fasting helps them to get into deeper contact with God, then go ahead and fast, but not merely as an outward ritual, to show off your supposed spirituality to others, like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time did. But let it be a sincere process that has you earnestly seeking God and His holy will for your life.
Jesus said it this way: ‘Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites (pretenders), of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.’ (Matt. 6:16-17)
Remember friends, you can fool the people and yourself, but you can’t fool God. So whatever steps we take this Lenten Season to renew and deepen our spirituality, please, let’s make sure that it’s a conscious and true decision to really get right with our heavenly Father. Those forty days and night that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the wilderness, and being tempted by Satan, were not a mere ritual, but a means whereby He could be strengthened and made ready for the awesome but ever so difficult public ministry on which He was about to embark.
Likewise, whatever discipline we choose to embark on for this Lenten Season, in whatever wilderness we find ourselves, it ought to strengthen us, mentally, emotionally and spiritually so that we can continue doing a good job on Jesus’ behalf on this evil and godless earth, for that’s our avowed purpose. But whatever we do, be it more Bible study, or meditating on the word, or deep searching of our souls, fasting, sackcloth and ashes, (smile) let’s ensure that we spend more time with our wonderful Father these next forty days and nights of Lent.
And it doesn’t have to be anything heavy, but even just spending more quiet time with Him, talking to Him, opening our hearts to Him, and then listening to what He has to say in answer. Like Peter advises: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) Oh for sure, sometimes that’s the best way to go about it, for our God enjoys those li’l one on one tete a tetes with us, where we don’t hold back anything, don’t pretend to be who we are not, we just lay all of our cards on the table before Him.
You’ll be surprised at how cleansing and far-reaching that kind of approach can be. Because we stop hiding, stop dissimulating, stop pretending and free up our spirits and souls. And that’s when the Lord is able to do great work in us, when our spiritual arteries and veins are free and unclogged, not burdened by all the foolishness of this crazy world. Now let’s listen to this interesting conversation about fasting between God and the nation of Israel, through the prophet Isaiah.
As per Israel’s way of fasting, God said: ‘Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact (exploit) all your labours (labourers). Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite (strike) with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.’ (Is. 58:3-4) Basically nothing changed with Israel’s fasting, life went on as usual.
But here’s God’s take on fasting. ‘Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day of the Lord? Is this not the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens (bonds of the yoke), and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal (share) thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out (wandering) to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward (rear guard). Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.’ (Is. 58:5-9a) Yes my fellow believers, that’s what the Lord expects from us when we fast and cry out to Him: a return to righteousness, looking after the poor and needy, breaking the yokes we have on others and coming to Him with clean and contrite hearts. So, let’s ensure that whatever we do this Lenten season, it is in God’s will and brings true glory to Him.
Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. In strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Then there’s li’l promise tacked on to that. If we endure right to the end with Jesus, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Wow! We all surely want to see that, which means we’re going to endure to the end! Glory be my people! Much LOVE!
…Lent…a time to bestir ourselves…and delve deeper into God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a well thumbed Bible, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and doeth it not to him it is sin, be ye doers of the word, deceiving your own selves, endure to the end, explains the age0old problems of sin and suffering, for instruction in righteousness, glad to be alive, hands on the plough, helps cleanse us from the pollutions of sin, ignorance is no excuse, imparts strength, instructs us what to do, it explains the origin of man, live a holy life well pleasing to God, makes our lives fruitful, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not hearers only, not looking back, not looking back at the past, points out the only way to salvation, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, provides us with a sword for victory over sin, the BIBLE, the Bible discovers sins and convicts us, the Bible reveals the truth about God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the frontispiece of every home, the Good Library, the great purpose of the Bible, the inerrant Word of God, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, to him that knoweth to do good, to reveal the the living Word of God -Jesus Christ, Wednesday Wail
2 Timothy 3:16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Now I like weather forecasters, and I know that their job is tricky and not easy to gauge properly, but listen to my predicament this morning. I just opened my computer and saw the forecast for today as 9% C sunny. But outside it’s wet and chilly. Then I turned away for a minute only to see the forecast then saying, ‘temps plummet.’ And as I look at it a couple of minutes later, it now says ‘12% C cloudy.’ Brother all of that in less than ten minutes! So what’s a body to believe eh?
And sadly, that’s the way a lot of life is these days. You don’t know what’s truth from lies, for everybody is touting something they call the truth and claiming that everything else is a lie. How wonderful it is that we believers have the Bible, the Word of God, the greatest book ever written. But wait a minute, the Bible is not just one book, but a collection of books, 66, to be exact, and that makes it a Library, thus we call it the Good Library. Oh yes, it is indeed a library, covering all kinds of topics, like history, poetry, drama, biography, prophecy, philosophy, science, and it’s even good for just inspirational reading.
And above all else my faithful brethren, the Bible is the inerrant truth of God! That means there are absolutely NO ERRORS! For, as Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’ (2 Tim. 3:16) And as one commentator says: ‘The Bible has been given to us that we may live a holy life, well-pleasing to God. Therefore God says: ‘But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’ (James 1:22)
Yes friends, we definitely need to be bigger doers of the word, if we expect to make a difference for Jesus down here on planet earth. But first we need to know the word, so that we can do it, and that takes constant reading, studying, meditating and praying on it. And when we have amassed some knowledge, then we must get out in the crazy world and use it for Jesus’ benefit. One serious reminder here on the subject of knowledge though. James tells us in no uncertain manner: ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ James (4:17)
Now that doesn’t mean we can get away from doing good by saying we don’t, or didn’t know, because if you are a true believer in Christ Jesus, you ought to be studying the word and becoming more mature in the Christian life every day. So as the old saying goes: ‘Ignorance is no excuse.’ So, we all ought to be studying the word, for none of us have yet arrived at perfection, or true maturity, and then putting that word into sincere actions.
And I like this paragraph from the introduction of ‘How to study the Bible,’ found in my King James Version. It says: ‘The Bible alone truly answers the greatest questions that men of all ages have asked: ‘Where have I come from? ‘Where am I going?’ ‘Why am I here?’ ‘How can I know the truth?’ For the Bible reveals the truth about God, explains the origin of man, points out the only way to salvation and eternal life, and explains the age-old problem of sin and suffering.’
Wow! There’s no doubting that the Bible is the ONLY manual that can satisfactorily answer all those questions! Every other theory about mankind falters somewhere along the line, except the Bible. For instance, the Big Bang Theory. As far as I am concerned, that falters right at the very beginning; for what causes the Big Bang eh? Something or someone must have caused it. It doesn’t seem reasonable that just out of the blue, a big bang occurred and the world came to be. But it does seem reasonable that a mighty, omnipotent Spirit, created the world and all therein.
Anyway, however we slice it friends, the Bible is the most important book in our world, that’s why for eons they have been trying to get rid of it, but every year it’s still the best-selling book in our world! Take that you atheists, big bang theorists and whatever else have you! (smile) And by the way, a moment ago I looked at the weather forecast and it said, ‘temps plummet,’ now it’s saying ‘13C cloudy.’ Glory Hallelujah!
Oh, I just noticed this glorious ending to our Bit today on the Good Library. But before we get to it, the introduction to studying the Bible also says: ‘The great purpose of the written Word of God, the Bible, is to reveal the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-18)’ That’s also true, but what I want to really share are these seven great things that according to Dr. Wilbur M. Smith, studying the Bible will do for us.
(1) The Bible discovers sin and convicts us. (2) The Bible helps cleanse us from the pollutions of sin. (3) The Bible imparts strength. (4) The Bible instructs us in what we are to do. (5) The Bible provides us with a sword for victory over sin. (6) The Bible makes our lives fruitful. (7) The Bible gives us the power to pray.’ Mama Mia! Does any other Book or faith or whatever give us those many great aspects on life and living? Absolutely not! So please, let’s seriously consider all we’ve said today, and let it help us get into the word ever so much more, so that we can go out and do even more for Christ and our fallen world.
Now, for those of us who are in tune with that sentiment, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we like to add this bit of encouragement every week; that if we endure right down to the very end with Jesus, then we’ll find that the future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please, please let that help us to endure right to the very end with Jesus nuh. Much LOVE!
…a well thumbed Bible…should be the frontispiece of every home…along with the good works it engineers…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a frail and finite man, a time to dance, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to weep, Beauty for Ashes, concentrate on righteousness, crowd out the glad tomorrows, destroy the wicked, endure to the end, girded me with gladness, glad to be alive, hands on the plough, honest determination, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my glory may sing praise to thee, not a one way street, not be silent, not looking back, not putting our best foot forward, patient and long-suffering God, put off my sackcloth, rekindle the charred embers, renege on my promises, renew my broken vows, Renewed Commitment, retract the impetuous words, save the righteous, second chances, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the garment of praise, the joy of beginning again, the oil of joy for mourning, the painful memories of my yesterdays, the spirit of heaviness, to a glorious future with Jesus, to the end, trees of righteousness, turned my mourning into dancing, under the weather, Wednesday Wail, witness for Christ
Psalm 30:11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth (the sackcloth of my mourning), and girded me with gladness.
Ah friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella was somewhat under the weather this morning and didn’t have the parts to get up and write earlier. (smile) So, we will endeavour to keep it short and sweet. Hn! Hn! Please remember though, I’m not God, only a frail and finite man, so sometimes I might renege on my promises.
Anyway, let’s check out this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, that’s most appropriate for this new year of 2023. It’s titled” ‘Renewed Commitment,’ that’s to Jehovah God, something all of us need to seriously look into, because as the body or church of Christ, we are not putting our best foot forward on His behalf.
So please read with me: ‘Forgive me, dear Lord For too often Letting the painful memories Of my yesterdays Crowd out the glad tomorrows You graciously offer me. I know I cannot rekindle The charred embers Of the past year. I cannot erase the blunders Made so impulsively Nor can I regain the opportunities That are forever lost. I cannot retract the impetuous words I wish I had not spoken Or replace the shallow choices I should not have made. But I Can open my wayward heart To Your cleansing power. With honest determination I Can renew my broken vows. And I Can begin to praise You This very day For the joy of beginning again.’
Oh my people, doesn’t that sound like so many of us this past year? Of course!. But as the poem says, we CAN renew our broken vows to God and begin worshipping and praising Him this very day, for the joy of beginning again. And isn’t that one of the majestic mercies of our great God; the ability to extend second chances…even third fourth and fifth ones! That’s what is so amazing about Him; despite our rebellious nature and wayward ways, He always takes us back, whenever we come running back to Him.
Forgiveness, based on His unconditional and everlasting LOVE for us, His most important creation is just a natural aspect of His Being. Once He judges us to be sincere, He will forgive. But we must not attempt to take advantage of His wonderful grace and mercies by overdoing our rebelliousness, for though He is patient and longsuffering, He will not put up with our foolishness for ever. You just have to look at what He made His chosen people, Israel go through for their stubborn and continuous disobedience.
So, let’s remember that our God is a most wonderful and forgiving Deity, but He’s no pushover, as He’s always promised, in His time, He will destroy the wicked, but save the righteous. That means we’ve got to concentrate on righteousness this new year of 2023. And we don’t have a lot of time to do it, because the first month of January is almost over.
But enough with the conviction (smile) let’s turn to the Bible Promise on which our poem was based. It comes from Psalm 30, and says: ‘Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth (the sackcloth of my mourning), and girded me with gladness.’ (Ps. 30:11)
That brings to mind a couple of other scriptures on the subject of mourning and dancing. First up are these true words of Cousin Sol writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, where he reasons that there’s a season for every thing, including: ‘a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.’ (Eccl. 3:4)
Then the prophet Isaiah, in declaring (yesss!!!) the acceptable year of the Lord to his people Israel said: ‘To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto (console) them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is. 61:2-3)
Now that’s the main reason the Lord made us: to glorify Him! And those are the things He desires to give to us, ‘beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness:’ things that so many of us are not enjoying because of our rebellious and unrighteous ways. We cannot be the ‘trees of righteousness’ the Lord desires us to be called if we are not in sync and harmony with Him.
And this is the reason the psalmist gives for the Lord turning his mourning into dancing and girding him with gladness instead of sackcloth: ‘To the end that my glory (soul) may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.’ (Ps. 30:12)
And that’s exactly what Christ desires of us, His supposed followers; to not be silent, as so many of us are, for whatever reasons. And also to sing His praises to ALL the world for as long as we live! And I’m sincerely pleading with us that this is the year we must turn things around in Christ’s favour; let His name, His LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness explode all over the planet and cause a magnificent revival of His LOVE Revolution!
Wow! That’s our goal for this year, couldn’t have a better one. And so, for all of us in agreement with that, let’s go home now declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, informing all and sundry of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for added encouragement, let’s remember that if we endure to the end with Jesus, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please allow that to boost our faith, enthusiasm and witness for Christ! Much LOVE!
…to be in successful partnership with God…we must also do our part…it’s not a one way street…
P.S. Glory be! I did keep my promise and made it shorter…a li’l bit. (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
18 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a figment of your imagination, a mirage, abundantly utter the memory of thy goodness, beyond our understanding, declare thy mighty acts, endure to the end, God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, halfway home, hands on the plough, his greatness is unsearchable, I will extol thee my God, indisputable truth, Jesus - Saviour and Redeemer of this sinful world, Jesus is no figment of our imagination, like chickens with their heads cut off, losing their God-given privileges', LOVE, make disciples of all nations, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not looking back at the past, one generation shall praise thy works to another, our children are not positively focused, our raison d'etre, seek first the kingdom of God, soldiers of the Lord, sophisticated war-machine, stand up for Jesus, stop being afraid, stop being lazy and lethargic, stop loving the things of the world, taking the world down to hell in a hand-basket, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Great Commission, the rock-like foundation only found in Jesus, the wonders of Jehovah God, thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 145:3. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).
And then it was Wednesday; the middle day of the work week, another damp, cloudy day, with just a hint of sunshine, like what seems to be an oasis in the desert when you are dying from thirst, but is actually a mirage, a figment of your imagination. (smile) But thankfully our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is no figment of our imagination, no mirage, but real flesh and blood when He lived here on earth.
And we know that for a fact because his sinless and holy blood was shed for all to see, so that He could pay our sin debt in full! ‘Glory be to thee O Jesus Christ: Saviour and Redeemer of this sinful world! You are great and greatly to be praised for all You’ve done so selflessly for us. We praise and worship Your Holy Name!’
And in honour of Christ’s majestic and holy name, today we’ll look at Psalm 145, Bruh David’s great Psalm of Praise, titled – God’s Unsearchable Greatness, which so beautifully and eloquently describes our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Please read with me: ‘I will extol (praise) thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable (beyond our understanding).’ (Ps. 145:1-3)
And is that ever the indisputable truth my fellow believers! Our God is great, and greatly to be praised, and we can’t truly understand Him, because as He says, His thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours. (Is. 55:8-9) But His Word does give us some insight into His marvellous character, and we do see enough of His marvelous works through the prophets and Jesus Christ to know that He is all powerful, all knowing and ever-present.
Thus, Bruh David continues: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare (steups!!!) thy mighty acts.’ (Ps. 145: 4) Now let’s just stop there for a while and consider, meditate and ponder on that verse. Do we really understand what it means? It means that it’s our bounden duty to pass on the Lord’s words, acts and all His doings to the generation that comes behind us, in other words to our children. That’s how the story of our God and His greatness will survive!
And that’s how it’s survived for the last two thousand years, by being passed down through word of mouth and positive actions from parents to children. Remember what Moses said to the children of Israel re God’s Word? ‘And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ (Deut. 6:6-7)
Oh my people, have we obeyed that command? Unfortunately not. Our generation has not done its job, we have not instructed our children sufficiently in the wonders, mercies and LOVING-kindness of our great God, that’s why they are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, following every ungodly theory and idea. We have failed to give them the stable, solid, rock-like foundation that’s only to be found in Christ Jesus. The wherewithal that has them positively focused, knowing exactly where they are going, and with whom.
But no, we were either too busy, afraid, or just too lazy to impart the wonders of Jehovah God to our children, so now they are easy pickings for any and every weird, evil and ungodly scheme that springs up in this satanically controlled world. We have obviously not done, or done sufficiently, what Bruh David says in the next couple of verses. ‘I will speak of (meditate on) the glorious honour (splendour) of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible (awesome) acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly (eagerly) utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.’ (Ps. 145: 5-7)
Hn! Now please tell me if those things are happening in our world today, at least to the extent they ought to be? Absolutely not! Men are not speaking of God’s goodness and greatness, instead they are blaspheming His holy name and trying to rid our society of Him, and we His supposed followers are not putting up a big and courageous enough fight to stop it! I believe that in this current hedonistic society, more people are turning away from God than are coming to Him, and that certainly does not augur well for the generations to come.
We have already allowed them to take the Bible and the Ten Commandments out of the schools and public places, and they are now inculcating a lot of nonsense, of lies and untruths in the heads of our children, what’s next eh? As supposedly true believers, ambassadors and agents of Christ Jesus, we should be putting up a more robust, determined and demanding fight for our rights and privileges as Christians. And if you think that’s a joke, just look around and see which group of people are losing their God-given privileges the most: Christians!
The next move is persecution, although we are supposed to be living in a supposedly Christian society. But that’s no longer the truth either. Please give your head a shake and wake up and see the reality around us nuh. The enemy has mounted a very large and sophisticated war-machine, and we need to stop it before it gets any further. That’s our raison d’etre, our reason for being; to spread God’s Word.
Remember the Great Commission that Jesus gave us, before he departed this earth. ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway(s), even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20)
Now, how many of us supposed believers can truthfully say we are seriously and sincerely carrying out that godly assignment eh? Merely a handful of our supposedly great numbers! And that certainly is not good enough my fellow saints if we expect things to change for the better. Remember, we are the only group who desires to see the world improve. That means we are the ones who have to get the ball rolling and keep it rolling! There are only two sides yuh know, Jesus’ side and the other side. And the other side seems intent on taking the world down to hell in a handbasket.
Are we going to allow that to happen on our watch? I sincerely hope not! That means we have to get together, stop allowing the enemy to divide and conquer us, then mount an even bigger and more powerful campaign than the enemy to retake our world for our children and our children’s children. And we can do it with the help of Jesus, if we would only get serious, stop being afraid, stop being lazy and lethargic, stop LOVING the things of the world, and begin truly seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness! End of sermon! (smile)
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying our best to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now, here’s one more bit of encouragement. If we endure to the end with Jesus, then that promised future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! So let’s be wise and strong and endure to the end nuh! Much LOVE!
…stand up, stand up for Jesus…you soldiers of the Lord…
P.S. Would you believe I intended it to be short and sweet? But them’s the breaks! where the Spirit leads, I must follow! And it’s good though. (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place of eternal life and rest, blessing and cursing, choose life, endure to the end, eternal death and damnation, halfway home, hands on the plough, jump on Jesus' bandwagon, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, not turning back, refreshes our souls and spirits, separation from Almighty God, set before you life and death, thank the Lord for Jesus, that both you and thy seed may live, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the flooding transforming power, the joyful things i owe to Jesus' goodness, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the soaring surging peace of Jesus, the worst fate a human being can suffer, there are no words, there's nobody else like Jesus, therefore our God, to a glorious future with Jesus, tormented in this flame, we thank thee and praise thy glorious name, Wednesday Wail
1 Chronicles 29:13. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
So we’ve come to Wednesday, the middle of the work week, but nothing much has changed, except the temperature seems to have fallen below the freezing mark. The day is still cloudy, with barely a hint of sunshine, and I know all this gloom has to be affecting many of us negatively.
But as we keep saying, ‘Thank the Lord for Jesus yes! Without Him in our dreary, same old, same old lives we’d be completely lost! Yes Lord, we give you all the praise and glory for Jesus, who not only saves our souls, but refreshes and replenishes our daily lives with His amazing LOVE!’ And all God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Amen!’
Yes my faithful brethren, Jesus is the answer; the answer to everything, the only answer we’ll ever need in this life, as well as the next! That brings us to this interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that shows just how essential Jesus is to us. It’s aptly titled ‘There Are No Words.’
So please read with me. ‘How can I put into words, my Lord The flooding transforming power That sweeps my life because of You? How can I explain to anyone The soaring, surging peace That You alone can give? All the wonder-filled things in my life All the joyful, glorious things I owe to Your goodness, Your grace, Your LOVE. Nothing is ever the same since knowing You And the longer I know You The deeper my LOVE.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my people? It certainly is! Once we get to know Jesus, our lives are never the same. And the longer we know Him, the more we come to LOVE Him because of His exceptional mercy, grace and LOVE!
Wow! And that’s why He is the answer to EVERYTHING! The only problem is that if you don’t know Jesus, haven’t accepted Him as Lord and Saviour, then you cannot partake of that awesome grace, mercy and LOVE that He has to share, and desires so deeply to share with mankind. Thus, you are missing out on the best things in life!
Oh, I know some of you think you have life so good because of your power, wealth and physical possessions, but tell me, what’s going to happen to all of that when you give up the ghost of this life to go to the next eh? Will living the way the ungodly world dictates help you then? Will you carry all that wealth and power and stuff with you? Absolutely not! So what’s the big fuss over them all about?
You can achieve the same level of wealth and power and stuff with Jesus in your corner, but the difference is that with Jesus in your life, at the end, you will go to a place of eternal life and rest, rather than to one of eternal death and damnation. Oh friends, eternal separation from Almighty God is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being!
So I’m pleading with us to be wise and accept Jesus before it’s too late. For if you die, or He returns before you accept Him, then things will be very sad and disheartening for you, there’ll then be no chance of spending eternity in heaven with Him. And the only other option is hellfire with Satan. That I don’t think you’ll want, as it’s so well described by Jesus in the story of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man. You can find it in Luke 16: 19-31.
Basically, what it says is that the rich man lived a wealthy and relaxed life here on earth, while Lazarus sat at his gate, begging and eating scraps from his table, as the dogs licked the many sores on his body. However, when they died, the rich man went to hell and Lazarus to heaven. In the torment of hell, the rich man saw Lazarus reclining comfortably in Abraham’s bosom, enjoying the joys of heaven while he was down there in the depths, hot as hell! (smile)
Then what did he do? ‘And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they come from thence.’ (Luke 16:24-26)
Then the tormented man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his five remaining siblings on earth to testify to them so they wouldn’t experience his fate. But Abraham nixed that idea too, saying, ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’ (Luke 16:31)
Now friends, those were not my words, but those of Jesus, and if the Son of God, who cannot lie, says there is a not very nice place reserved for those who don’t believe in Him, then whom am I to argue with Him eh? Instead, if I’m wise, I’m going to jump on His bandwagon and do my best to stay there, since I don’t want to end up like that rich man, but like Lazarus.
And that’s the long and short of the story my people! Our options are either to accept Jesus and live eternally, or do Satan’s bidding and die an eternal death. God’s given us free will, so it’s our choice. And I pray that we will make the wise one. Like Moses told the children of Israel: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
It could not be any clearer than that my people. And that’s why the Bible Promise from our Poem earlier are the words of Bruh David when Israel was making their offering to build the Lord’s temple: ‘Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.’ (1Chr. 29:13) And that’s how it ought to be my fellow saints! Sincere thanks and praise to our glorious God should continually be issuing from the depths of our saved and redeemed souls! Now, for those of us who are sincerely following Jesus, let’s go home declaring (wowww!!! that’s at least the fourth consecutive time I’ve spelt it right,) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And then there’s this bit of encouragement: if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we ask or imagine. So please, let’s do the wise thing and endure to the end nuh! Much LOVE!
…there’s nobody else like JESUS…now say it again…there’s nobody else like JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 